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Hager City trash hauler fined for dumping

Paul’s Industrial Garage was fined $1,800 after dumping an overflowing roll-off box’s contents onto the driveway at 1622 Greenwood St. in Red Wing last month.

At their Monday meeting, City Council members approved the fine for illegally dumping municipal solid waste. The fine is a penalty and helps to cover the city’s cleanup cost, which was about $735, according to a staff report.

The dumping took place on the afternoon of June 20, Red Wing public works deputy director of solid waste Jeff Schneider said. Several neighbors witnessed PIG staff emptying the firm’s roll-off onto the driveway and Red Wing police took a report after some called 911, Schneider said.

Paul Larson, owner of PIG, said in a letter to the council the customer owed money for the container but hadn’t responded to multiple attempts to contact them and collect the funds, so PIG decided to remove the container.

When the driver arrived, he determined it was impossible to haul it away safely due to materials “heaping over.” After unsuccessfully attempting to contact the customer again then, Larson said, the driver decided to dump the container on the driveway.

Larson said in his letter there was no hazardous material or garbage in the container, though city staff reports and photos indicate otherwise, Schneider said.

Council member Peggy Rehder said she went to the home that night after hearing from neighbors and there was garbage, along with many other items and materials, in the area.

“I just think it’s totally unacceptable and I don’t think PIG has any excuse whatsoever for that kind of negligent behavior,” she said.

In his letter, Larson said the company wasn’t notified by the city before the cleanup and “definitely would have taken care of the situation before it happened.”

Public works staff cleaned up the 1.78 tons of materials as soon as possible, early the next morning, due to it being a public health issue, Schneider said.

Danielle Killey covers local government for the South Washington County Bulletin. She has worked as a reporter for other Forum Communications newspapers since 2011. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a journalism degree.